Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree
by missy52061
Summary: Alex Castle's first visit to the Rockefeller Christmas tree. My 50th story and for another Castle-less Monday - 6 more weeks to go! As always, I don't own Castle, I just wish I did!


Rick Castle was very excited this morning. Yes, he loved Christmas and he loved it even more now – celebrating with Kate, their kids, and their family just made it even better. And today was an exciting occasion. It was the first time their youngest, Alex, would see the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree up close. Yeah, he'd be celebrating his third Christmas this year, but he hadn't seen it in person yet. He was only three months old his first Christmas, so unlike Jamie (who had been nine months old) and Hannah (who had been almost a year old), they didn't want to take him out in the crush of Christmas. Plus it had been really cold that Christmas. And last year, a nasty stomach bug had made its rounds through the family in December, so no-one made it to Rockefeller Center.

But this year, he was two. This year, they were experiencing a warmer than normal December. This year, everyone was healthy. So he and Kate had decided that today was the day. They'd take the kids to see the tree, look at the holiday windows on Fifth Avenue, and do some lunch. Alexis, Mike, Katie and Joe would meet them there. Jim thought he could make it – Kate would text him when they left – but his Mother was busy today with a Christmas production at her school.

Rick's job this morning was to provide the pancakes while Kate was getting the kids ready for the day. Now that Hannah was five and Jamie was eight, that meant getting Alex dressed and making sure the other two were wearing the appropriate clothing and that they had brushed their teeth.

Soon, everyone was fed and ready to face the day. Kate texted her dad as they rounded up the kids and made sure they all were buttoned up. Rick texted Alexis and that made him realize it would also be six month old Joe's first view of the tree too. A day of firsts, he thought as they headed down to the subway.

When they emerged on the street corner, the sun was shining and the crowd wasn't too bad. They easily met Jim at the arranged spot and the kids were all talking to Jim at once, telling him everything they had done since they saw him last. He had a big grin on his face as he listened to his grandkids. He no longer went to his cabin at Christmas; he now spent the season with the family. As Kate watched, she saw his grin get bigger, and turned to see Alexis and her family crossing the street to join them. Alexis and Jim had a sweet relationship; he considered her another grandchild, and he adored her children.

"Okay, we're all here now. Is everyone ready for the Rockefeller Center tree?" Rick called out. He took Hannah's hand and made sure Kate had Alex in her arms. He pulled his phone out of his pocket – he wanted to capture the moment on video. Jamie was holding Jim's hand while Alexis held Katie and Mike held Joe. "Let's go," he said.

When they got there, Kate turned around so Alex could see the beautiful tree. Jamie and Jim were talking about how tall it was, and Alexis was pointing out things to Hannah and Katie, who were looking awestruck. But when Rick turned to look at Alex, he looked happy but that was it. "So buddy," Rick said "what do you think?"

"It looks like our tree at home!" Alex said.

The entire family turned around and looked at him. Of course, the Castle Christmas tree was bigger than most, but even their beautiful tree could not hold a candle to the awesome display of Christmas-ness that was the Rockefeller Center tree. "Sweetie," Kate said, "our tree is beautiful, but don't you think this one is bigger than ours?"

"Nope. Our tree is big!" the little boy would not change his mind. Not even when they walked and showed him the back view of the tree, he still felt their tree was better. Kate had to laugh. She remembered her first view of the Castle version of Christmas, and she guessed it was pretty awesome for that to be a normal Christmas. She looked at Rick and they shared a grin. Well, Alex was always the kid who loved the box as much as he loved the toy, so they couldn't be too surprised that he thought their tree at home was better than the one in Rockefeller Center!

 **A/N: another story of mine that actually happened to my family. We grew up and I still live in New York, but my older brother and his family live in Virginia. But every Christmas, they spend a day in New York City. My niece is three years younger than her brothers, and her first two Christmases she didn't go to the city with them. When she finally got to go, she was not impressed with the tree – she thought their tree at home was better!**


End file.
